Mr. Paddy Howard:

I understand. We can give some illumination on that, although it is not my area of expertise. There is a block grant and that has to be done in a manner that is consistent with the independence of the institutions. In my division, however, we have oversight of our competitive research funding agencies. The funding they give out is by competition. Typically, they structure a competitive call and that is where the conditionality is specified. They will say it is a research call for a certain purpose and specify the features they are seeking in the context of that call. There are different structures. For research centres, it may be a big structured investment over a long period, while for some of the Irish Research Council, IRC, work, it might be more individual awards and that kind of good stuff. The conditionality will then apply to what the research is meant to deliver. Does that paint a picture for the Deputy?